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© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Temperature and food quality are the most important environmental factors determining the performance of herbivorous insects. The objective of our study was to evaluate the responses of the spongy moth (formerly known as the gypsy moth) [Lymantria dispar L. (Lepidoptera: Erebidae)] to simultaneous variation in these two factors. From hatching to the fourth instar, larvae were exposed to three temperatures (19 °C, 23 °C, and 28 °C) and fed four artificial diets that differed in protein (P) and carbohydrate (C) content. Within each temperature regime, the effects of the nutrient content (P+C) and ratio (P:C) on development duration, larval mass, growth rate, and activities of digestive proteases, carbohydrases, and lipase were examined. It was found that temperature and food quality had a significant effect on the fitness-related traits and digestive physiology of the larvae. The greatest mass and highest growth rate were obtained at 28 °C on a high-protein low-carbohydrate diet. A homeostatic increase in activity was observed for total protease, trypsin, and amylase in response to low substrate levels in the diet. A significant modulation of overall enzyme activities in response to 28 °C was detected only with a low diet quality. A decrease in the nutrient content and P:C ratio only affected the coordination of enzyme activities at 28 °C, as indicated by the significantly altered correlation matrices. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that variation in fitness traits in response to different rearing conditions could be explained by variation in digestion. Our results contribute to the understanding of the role of digestive enzymes in post-ingestive nutrient balancing.

Details

Title
Temperature- and Diet-Induced Plasticity of Growth and Digestive Enzymes Activity in Spongy Moth Larvae
Author
Lazarević, Jelica 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Milanović, Slobodan 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Jovanović, Darka Šešlija 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Janković-Tomanić, Milena 1 

 Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”—National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar Despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia; [email protected] (D.Š.J.); [email protected] (M.J.-T.) 
 Faculty of Forestry, University of Belgrade, Kneza Višeslava 1, 11030 Belgrade, Serbia; [email protected]; Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Zemĕdĕlská 3, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic 
First page
821
Publication year
2023
Publication date
2023
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
2218273X
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2819378524
Copyright
© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.